Ensign O'Brian, Maia Florence
by Whotrek
Summary: Maia O'Brian is the new Ensign on the USS Enterprise. At barely eighteen, she's being catapulted into a whole new world of new civilizations, new people and new emotions - emotions that might possibly involve a fellow Ensign. [Chekov/OC]
1. Chapter 1

Maia O'Brian stood on the bridge of the Starship Enterprise: she had made it; she had passed through the academy and scored herself a job as the new Ensign onboard Starfleet's greatest ship, and she was only just about to turn eighteen.

She had only just arrived onboard the ship, and had been brought up to the Bridge by the captain to be introduced to the rest of the crew, who had all been assembled on the Bridge for the occasion.

"Ladies and gentlemen," said Kirk. "I'd like to welcome onboard our new ensign, Miss O'Brian."

"Hello," said O'Brian somewhat shyly.

"Montgomery Scott," said Scotty as he stepped forwards, hand outstretched.

O'Brian shook his hand, replying with, "Good to meet you, Mr Scott."

"Everyone calls me Scotty," he responded. "So feel free to follow the crowd."

"Okay," laughed O'Brian. She decided that she liked Scotty. He seemed kind.

"I am Mr Spock," said Spock. He stepped forwards as he spoke, but didn't offer his hand as Scotty had done.

The Captain had already told O'Brian about Spock, so she simply nodded her head in acknowledgement, saying, "Pleased to meet you."

"I'm McCoy," said the doctor. "Call me Bones."

"Bones," said O'Brian. "Mr Bones."

"Just Bones," said McCoy. "I'm just Bones around here."

Bones had created an awkward pause in the conversation, and after a moment the Captian broke it, saying, "Ah, O'Brian," as he pointed towards a young man standing almost behind the rest of the crew and said, "This is Chekov, he's also an Ensign."

The young man stepped forwards from his position of obscurity as O'Brian greeted him.

"Hello, Mees O'Brian," he said. "It's nice to meet you."

O'Brian was taken off guard by the strong accent with which the man spoke. "Oh, Mr Chekov, are you Russian?" she asked.

"Yes, Mees," he replied, smiling broadly.

"Do you speak Russian?" she asked.

" Da, miss, ya govoryu na russkom" he said, grinning even more.

"Translation?" laughed O'Brian.

"I said `Yes, Miss, I do speak Russian`," he replied, laughing a little himself.

"You'll have to teach me a few phrases," smiled O'Brian.

"If you weesh," said Chekov cheerily.

O'Brian nodded, and Chekov stepped back into his original position, creating a contented pause in the conversation.

"I'm Nyota Uhura," said a woman to the right of O'Brian.

"Oh," said O'Brian. She hadn't even noticed the woman. "Nice to meet you, Miss Uhura."

"And you," said the woman, smiling.

Captain Kirk then began to pull more people forwards until O'Brian had officially been introduced to the whole crew. She took a moment to appreciate the diversity of the crew: there were humans from various different countries - Scotty and Chekov, for example - alongside people like Spock, of completely different races.

After the introductions were complete, the Captain suggested that Scotty should show O'Brian to her new quarters. He took her bag from her and began to show her down corridors.

"The ship's huge," O'Brian commented, almost absentmindedly.

"You get used to it," laughed Scotty. "I suppose you're feeling like the new kid at school right now, eh?"

"Pretty much!" laughed O'Brian. "It's crazy."

"How old are you, anyway?" asked Scotty.

"I'll be eighteen in a month," replied O'Brian.

"You're like Chekov," he said. "Chekov joined the Enterprise crew just after he turned seventeen. Youngest ensign we've ever had... A genius, that boy is."

"Wow," said O'Brian. "I... I hear Spock's a bit of a genius too."

"Spock's a Vulcan," began Scotty. "He's a creature of logic. Logic this, logic that... That's how it is with Spock. Nobody quite understands how he's got a girlfriend."

"He's got a girlfriend?" asked O'Brian.

"Aye!" exclaimed Scotty. "Uhura, no less!"

"Well, I wouldn't have expected that," said O'Brian, shaking her head a little incredulously.

"Aye, well, that's life on the Enterprise... Full of surprises," said Scotty. "We're nearly at your room now."

"Thanks for helping out, Mr Scott," said O'Brian.

"Please, 'Mr Scott' is fine when we're on the job, but you don't have to bother with 'Mister' when we're off shift," he said. "I'd tell you to call me Montgomery but, Hell, there's not a soul on this ship who does!"

"So, Scotty then?" asked O'Brian.

"Aye," said Scotty.

"You can call me Maia, I have a feeling that I'm going to get sick of my surname after a while." said O'Brian, smiling.

"Ye get used to that too!" laughed Scotty. "Oh, here we are."

"Ah!" exclaimed O'Brian as she pushed open the unlocked door. Inside, the room contained a large bed, a desk and chair, a tall chest of drawers and a set of shelves on the wall. Everything was a clean, bright white.

"Everyone's room's pretty much the same, except Kirk's," said Scotty. "He's got special quarters, what with being the captain and all."

"Makes sense," she commented, looking around her new room.

"Anyway, there's spare uniforms and bed sheets in the drawers, as well as standard-issue blankets and pyjamas and such," said Scotty. "The rest of the space is yours to fill with whatever personal bits and pieces you've brought along."

"Thanks, Scotty," smiled O'Brian.

"Not a problem, Maia," he replied. "If you need anything, come looking for me and I'll do what I can for you."

"Alright," she smiled.

"Everyone gets up at six thirty, on a regular morning," said Scotty. "Tomorrow, you'll get up as usual, but you're not getting stuck into work until the day after."

"Why don't I have to work tomorrow?" she asked.

"You get the day to explore the ship. Get your bearings and such," he said. "If you find me while I'm on my break, I'll show you some interesting places onboard."

"Thanks," smiled O'Brian. "Should I go back to the bridge now?"

"Don't bother, it's almost quitting time," said Scotty, after looking at the digital clock. "You could always unpack your stuff."

"Alright," she said.

"Need a hand?" he offered.

"I'm alright," she smiled. "But thanks for everything."

"I'll see you tomorrow," he said. "Enjoy your first night on the ship."

"Will do," O'Brian smiled.

Scotty made for the door of the room. He turned around, just before he left.

"Welcome to the Enterprise, Miss O'Brian," he grinned, and with that, he closed the door behind him.

Maia laughed to herself for a moment before opening her standard-issue suitcase that she had been given to fill with personal belongings and began rummaging through her possessions. She looked around her room and realised that it was now her home... That this huge spaceship was her home. It was an intimidating prospect, but she was excited.

She began to busy herself with unpacking, before climbing into her new bed and waiting for sleep to come.

* * *

Well, that's the first chapter. I hope it wasn't completely horrific... That's all I have to say about it at the moment, but I'm working on the second chapter. Stay tuned!


	2. Chapter 2

In a shocking turn of events, I actually sat down and wrote something for this story! I'm sorry this chapter isn't the longest, and not much happens... I've finished the third chapter too, and I promise it's a lot better. Bear with me, guys!

* * *

Ensign O'Brian walked into the USS Enterprise's canteen at seven o'clock sharp the next morning, dressed in her new yellow Ensign's uniform. If she was being honest, she felt a lot more like the new kid in a crappy eighties high-school movie than she'd really like to admit.

After she had received her tray of food, she looked around the tables for someone whom she recognised - or at least someone who looked approachable. Much to her relief, her eyes met Scotty's and he waved at her, signalling for her come and sit at his table.

Scotty was sat across the table from a young man whom O'Brian remembered being introduced to the previous day, and she decided to sit next to him.

"Miss O'Brian," said Scotty brightly.

"Morning, Scotty," replied O'Brian, smiling a little. "And, Mr..."

"Sulu," said the young man.

"Sorry, Mr Sulu, I'm not the best with names," admitted O'Brian. "Unfortunately, it'll take me a while to remember what everyone's called."

"Don't worry about it," laughed Sulu. "Call me Hikaru."

"Well, call me Maia, then," said O'Brian.

"Nice name," commented Sulu, shoving a forkful of his breakfast into his mouth.

"Thanks," replied O'Brian, taking the first bite of her own food. It wasn't bad.

"The food's not fantastic, but it's alright," said Scotty, watching Maia try the new textures and tastes that were currently on her tray.

"It's better than the food at the Academy!" she responded.

"That's actually true," laughed Sulu.

"You'll have to call down to Engineering sometime today, Maia," said Scotty, changing the subject. "I'd like to show you the ins and outs of this beauty."

"Sounds great," said Maia.

Scotty began to launch into a long dialogue about Warp Factors and hydraulic engines, some of which Maia could grasp, but the majority of which went completely over her head. Sulu would occasionally chip in a comment, but he mostly just stuck to eating his breakfast and giving the occasional roll of his eyes when Scotty began to talk about the Enterprise like more of a person than a ship.

"Meester Scott!"

Scotty snapped out of his speech and turned around in his chair. He spotted the source of his interruption.

"Chekov," he said. "What d'you want?"

"Keptin Kirk is looking for you," said Chekov. "He says he needs you to do some kind of special check on the ship's systems."

"Dammit," muttered Scotty, downing the last of his now-lukewarm coffee. He stood up, pushing his chair back. "Aye, well, I'll be off to see what needs done," he sighed. "I'll see you sometime later on, Maia. Enjoy your first day."

"Bye, Scotty," said O'Brian, as he turned and wandered out of the canteen.

"Ah, yes, thees is your first day!" said Chekov brightly, looking at O'Brian. "Are you excited?"

"I suppose so," smiled O'Brian.

"Nerwous?" he asked.

"A little," she admitted.

"Sit down, Pavel," said Sulu, nodding towards the seat Scotty had just made vacant. Chekov obliged.

"Anything exciting planned for today?" asked Sulu.

"Normal operations," responded Chekov. "Anyway, it's wery nice to meet you, Mees O'Brian."

"Maia," she smiled. "Call me Maia."

"I am Pavel," said Chekov, grinning. "I hope we will be friends."

"Me too," said O'Brian. She smiled to herself as Sulu began talking to Chekov, and she quietly picked at the food on her plate.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter three! It's nice and long, and some Maia/Pavel is finaly beginning to happen! Someone commented that, so far, it almost seems as though the story is meant to be Maia/Scotty, but I just love Scotty so much that I had to make him Maia's best friend and write a lot of him into the story. Also, the closer Maia gets to Pavel, the less we'll probably see of poor ol` Mr Scott... Anyway, I hope you guys enjoy the chapter!

* * *

By lunchtime, O'Brian was fairly sure that she could find her way around most of the Enterprise. Well, she know how to get to anyplace she might need to visit within the foreseeable future.

She wasn't particularly hungry, so instead of heading to the canteen for lunch, she decided to take up Scotty's offer and head down to Engineering. She figured that Mr Scott could well be the sort to skip his meals in favour of inspecting Warp Cores, and she might be able to catch him during lunch break.

"Mr Scott," she said brightly, as she spotted him, lying on the floor, attempting to fix the underside of a control panel.

"Wha'? Who's tha'?" he shouted from underneath the panel. "I'm a wee bit busy, whoever ye are!"

"It's Ensign O'Brian," she said, standing a few feet back from the control panel.

"O'Brian? O'Bri- _oh_!" he exclaimed, attempting to sit up. He smacked his head on the panel.

"Mr Scott!" exclaimed O'Brian, dropping to her knees on the floor next to him. "Are you alright?"

"I'm fine," he replied, sliding along the floor out from underneath the panel. "_Damn_ it."

O'Brian heard a heavily accented voice coming from the other side of the control panel."Meester Scott?" the voice said again. "Meester Scott, what's going on?"

"Sorry, lad, c'mon out from underneath there," said Scotty, rubbing his head.

"Who's that?" asked O'Brian, but before Scotty could answer her, the Ensign she had met over breakfast appeared from behind the console.

"What happened?" he asked.

"Hit me head, lad, I'll live," said Scotty. "O'Brian, this is-"

"Mr Chekov, right?" she asked.

"Yes, Mees," smiled Chekov, wiping soot from his face with the sleeve of the red shirt he was wearing.

"We met at breakfast. You were there, Scotty," laughed O'Brian.

"Oh aye, I remember now," said Scotty.

"Is you head okay, Meester Scott?" asked Chekov.

"I'm fine, dammit," he groaned, but when he took his hand away from his head, there was blood on his fingers. "Oh," he said.

"Maybe you should go to Sickbay," said O'Brian.

"Bugger," muttered Scotty, getting up off the floor. "Chekov, see if you can fix yer side of the panel. I'll probably be back before lunch is over, I bet Bones'll have me patched up in two minutes flat."

"Yes sir," replied Chekov, laughing to himself a little as the Engineer made his way to Sickbay, cursing under his breath as he went. Scotty was a strange man.

When he was gone, O'Brian turned to Chekov.

"Nice to see you again," she smiled. "What's with the red shirt, Ensign?"

"Meester Scott has been tutoring me," he replied. "I like to help out in Engineering in my free time. Is wery interesting."

"He said you were a genius, Mr Scott," replied O'Brian.

"Well, that's a matter of opinion," replied Chekov, laying down on the floor to slide back underneath his panel. "Sit," he said, gesturing to the floor next to him.

O'Brian sat down. "He said you're the youngest Ensign Starfleet's ever had."

"You can't be too far behind," he replied. "How old are you again, Mees O'Brian?"

"I'll be eighteen in a month," she replied.

"I had just turned sewenteen when I joined the Enterprise crew," said Chekov. "How old were you when you joined the Academy?"

"Thirteen," said O'Brian. "I think I'm the second-youngest student every to study at the Academy, but it took me longer than usual to graduate - took me four years instead of three."

"I joined at fourteen, and it took me three years to graduate," said Chekov.

"Did you enjoy the Academy, Mr Chekov?" asked O'Brian.

"Honestly, not wery much," he replied. "Could you pass me that hammer ower there?"

O'Brian grabbed the hammer and passed it under the console to Chekov. "Why not?" she asked him.

"I was studious, wery much so," he replied. "I only had one real friend, Hikaru. You met him this morning too. But, you see, Hikaru is older than me."

"So, while Hikaru went to crazy parties, you were left home alone like a kid," said O'Brian.

"Da," replied Chekov. "But I enjoyed learning. I still do. And I enjoyed the knowledge that I would be on a Starship soon enough." he said. "What about you, Mees O'Brian?"

"Did I enjoy the Academy?" asked O'Brian. "Well... I guess I did. I said that I was the second-youngest student at the Academy, and well, the youngest was a friend of mine. She joined the Academy at _twelve_, dammit. But she fit right in with all the older students, and got invited to parties and everything. She took me along, when I felt crazy enough to go."

"That sounds fun," said Chekov.

"It was alright," laughed O'Brian. "So, do you spend all your free time down here, helping Scotty fix stuff?"

"Not all my time, but quite a lot of it," replied Chekov.

"This might be a stupid idea, but... Do you think he'd show me a few things?" asked O'Brian. "It would pass the time, and you and Scotty are friendly. And it would make me more useful around the ship if I could help in Engineering as well as my regular duties."

"I bet he would," said Chekov, sliding along the floor until he could sit up. "What better way to spend your time than getting covered in grease and soot with an alcoholic Scotsman and an annoying Russian?"

"Scotty's not a drunk, and you're not annoying," laughed O'Brian.

"Please, you have not seen Meester Scott drink yet," said Chekov. "And my woice is annoying to most people. They find it wery hard to understand me, and sometimes I start speaking Russian without even knowing."

"I understand you just fine," said O'Brian. "And maybe you can teach me some of that Russian."

"I'd lowe to, Mees O'Brian," laughed Chekov. "Pass me that tool ower there?"

O'Brian passed the tool to Chekov, who resumed work on the panel. She sat and just watched him work for a while, wondering if she'd be any good in Engineering, or whether Scotty would even agree to show her the ropes. After all, she had only just joined the crew, and Scotty already had his protégé.

She was interrupted in her thoughts by Scotty returning to Engineering.

"How's your head?" she asked, looking up.

"Bit tender, but otherwise alrigh'," said Scotty. "I'm warning you, Maia, God Forbid you ever need to visit Sickbay while Doctor McCoy's having a bad day... The man's just sass walking, and it gets worse when he's pissed off, I'll tell ye'."

O'Brian laughed. "Hey, Scotty, can I ask you something?"

"Fire away, lass," he replied.

"Mr Chekov told me that you've been tutoring him a little, showing him stuff around Engineering," she began. "And I was wondering if, maybe, you could show me too?"

"You're sure?" he asked. "You've not even started yer actual job yet."

"I know, but, assuming that everything goes to plan with my actual job, would that be alright?" she asked.

"Of course, lass," he smiled. "Just come on down here after yer shift and we'll make a start. Mr Chekov will be coming down too, since you two'll have the same shifts up on the Bridge."

"Great!" grinned O'Brian. "Thanks, Mr Scott."

"No problem," he said. "Now, I'll get back to fixing this bloody panel, I think."

"Don't hit our head this time, Meester Scott," called Chekov from the other side of the console.

"Bog off," muttered Scotty, crawling on the floor.

O'Brian laughed at the banter between Scotty and Chekov, who she soon decided would definitely be her two favourite people on the Enterprise. Scotty was friendly with a way of putting her at ease, almost like a big brother. And Chekov, well... He seemed very friendly. He was funny too, and his accent was endearing. And was it O'Brian's imagination, or was he... Cute?

Nah, she told herself. He's not cute.

But the more she thought about it, the more she wondered how true her argument was.


End file.
